Damages for Medical Expenses: Review of the Judicial Split on Admission of Medical Services Billed vs. Paid

By Jessica S. Smith, Esq. There has been a longstanding discussion in the Maine legal community surrounding the recoverability and, therefore, the admissibility, of medical expenses billed by a provider versus those that are actually paid by the patient, her insurer, or the government.   The argument stems from the fact that third-party payers such as… Read more »

Rental Car Insurance: Are You Paying for Coverage You Already Have?

By Samuel G. Johnson, Esq. Introduction: It’s not every day an attorney tells you to decline insurance coverage for a potential loss.  Well brace yourselves, because that is exactly what I am going to do in this article. Whether your car is in the shop for repairs or you are taking a long vacation far… Read more »

Jonathan W. Brogan Admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers

Jonathan W. Brogan, a member of the law firm of Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America. Brogan, who concentrates his practice in litigation, was recently inducted into the College during the association’s 2018 annual meeting. Fellowship in… Read more »

WC Appellate Division Decision issued on February 16, 2018 – Res Judicata and Multiple Injury Claims

Two years ago the Appellate Division held in Eck v. Verso Paper, Me. W.C.B. No. 16-20 (App. Div. 2016) that the Board may determine that an employee has sustained more than one gradual injury to the same portion of the body.  This decision sparked concern among employers that multiple claims could be made in an… Read more »

Kelly Hoffman Has Been Selected as a Representative of Team USA in the 2018 FIH Masters World Cup

It is important to recognize the accomplishments of our attorneys both in and out of the courtroom.  When we learned Kelly Hoffman was named to the U.S. Women’s Masters Field Hockey training squad, we recognized this achievement in the “Kudos” section of our Summer 2017 newsletter.  We are elated to announce that after five months… Read more »

WC Law Court Recognizes Credit for Social Security Retirement Benefits Paid in the Past

It has been recognized in several Law Court decisions that, generally speaking, there is no right to recover an overpayment of workers’ compensation benefits by taking an offset or by claiming reimbursement.  However, in a significant new decision, the Court has held that an employer is entitled to a credit for the value of Social… Read more »

WC Appellate Division Decision issued on January 17, 2018 – Multiple Gradual Injuries to Same Area

It had been determined by the Board that the employee sustained a gradual occupational injury to his right elbow on October 29, 2000.  Several years later the employee filed a Petition for Award alleging a second gradual injury to the same portion of the body occurring on May 8, 2009.  There was conflicting medical evidence… Read more »

WC Appellate Division Decision issued on January 16, 2018 – Record of Mediation

When parties reach agreement at mediation and the issues agreed to are reflected in the record, the record is fully binding upon the parties and has the effect of a final Board determination.  However, when no agreements are reached and the mediation is considered unresolved, the record itself has no res judicata effect. In Karimova… Read more »

David Herzer will chair the Maine Professional Ethics Commission again for 2018

The Professional Ethics Commission is comprised of eight attorneys who meet monthly to volunteer their time and expertise to render formal and informal written advisory opinions to the Court, Board, Grievance Commission, Bar Counsel, and members of the Maine bar involving the interpretation and application of the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct applicable to lawyers. … Read more »

WC Appellate Division Decision issued on December 29, 2017 – Challenge to Section 201(3) Rejected

In its final decision of 2017 an en banc panel of the Appellate Division consisting of seven ALJs unanimously denied an appeal brought by an employee in a case in which a claim of a gradual mental injury had been denied.  In Henderson v. Town of Winslow, Me. W.C.B. No. 17-46 (App. Div. 2017), the… Read more »